How to write instructions for an AI phone operator, from the greeting to transfer rules
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
An AI operator’s instructions are its job description: whose name it speaks in, how it greets, what facts it knows, which questions it asks, how it ends the call and when it hands over to a person. Write them in plain short lines: one fact per line, numbers in full, every rule as “if … then …”. Write down what it must not say, too. When prices or hours change, update the instructions that day. In Sado, Sado’s team sets the operator up together with you.
What the instructions consist of
- Who: the company name, the operator’s name, voice and tone (more formal or warmer, always polite).
- Greeting: one sentence. “Assalomu alaykum, Gulzor flowers, Malika speaking.”
- Facts: prices, address and landmark, opening hours, delivery terms, ways to pay.
- Questions: what to ask the customer (name, phone, date, quantity, address) and in what order.
- Ending: what the call ends with: an order, a booking, a callback time.
- Transfer rules: in which cases, and to whom.
- Don’ts: what never to say: discount promises, talk about competitors, guessed deadlines.
- Pronunciation: how to read a name, for example “Smile = Smayl”.
Bad lines and good lines
| Bad | Good |
|---|---|
| “Be nice to customers” | “Use the polite form, one idea per sentence, end with one question” |
| “Prices are on the website” | “Rose: 15,000 so‘m each; bouquet of 25: 350,000 so‘m” |
| “We deliver” | “Across Tashkent 30,000 so‘m; order by 18:00 for same-day delivery” |
| “If there’s a problem, pass it to a manager” | “Complains or asks for a person: transfer to manager Aziza” |
| “Don’t talk about discounts” | “Asked for a discount: say ‘Our manager will call you back about that’” |
| “Usual hours” | “Daily 9:00–21:00, Sunday 10:00–18:00” |
The shop, prices and hours in the table are only an example.
Rules for writing them
- One fact per line: easy to read and easy to update.
- Write numbers in full: “150,000 so‘m”, not “150k”.
- Write rules as “if … then …”: “If the customer says ‘tomorrow’, repeat the date with the weekday.”
- Give sample phrases: they show the tone better than a description.
- Write districts and products in both languages: «Yunusobod — Юнусабад».
- Delete expired offers and prices at once.
- Test after every change: call yourself, ask the five questions customers ask most and check the answers against your facts.
How the instructions sound in a call
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Gulzor flowers, Malika speaking.
Caller: Can you deliver 25 roses this evening?
Sado: Yes, if you order before six we’ll deliver today. A bouquet of 25 is 350,000 so‘m, delivery 30,000. Which district?
Caller: Yunusobod. Any discount?
Sado: Our manager will call you back about a discount. Shall I place the order now?
Caller: Yes, go ahead.
The operator doesn’t read table lines word for word: it takes the fact and says it in a normal sentence.
How the instructions are set up in Sado
In Sado, Sado’s team sets the operator up with you: the company name, the operator’s name and voice (Malika or Shohruh), tone, questions, prices, hours and transfer rules. The operator answers only from these facts; for a question that isn’t covered it doesn’t invent an answer but says a manager will call back and opens a task. If a name is read wrongly, it goes in the Pronunciation line of the operator settings.
What not to hand over: what an AI phone operator can’t do. How to write numbers and dates: numbers, dates and phone numbers by voice. How it works: AI operator for inbound calls and an AI operator that speaks Uzbek. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23: Sado’s own operator runs on instructions like these.
Questions
How long should the instructions be?
As long as your facts require, but every line short. A clear list beats a long text: mistakes and outdated prices show up quickly.
Are a script and instructions the same thing?
A script is the order of the call: greeting, questions, ending. Instructions are wider: they also hold the facts, transfer rules and don’ts.
Who writes the instructions?
In Sado, Sado’s team sets the operator up with you: you give the facts and rules, the team puts them into the operator. No developer is needed.